A couple weeks ago, my dad sent me a link to an excellent blog entry written in Mandarin Chinese. I have always loved the Chinese language for its elegant brevity, and this entry was no exception. In just a few lines of characters, it succinctly summarized 3 qualities of self-worth. I wanted to share this with my friends in the United States, so I decided to translate the entry into English:

3 Qualities of Self-Worth: Perseverance, Humility, Confidence

Perseverance (Ability to ‘Hold your anger’) - We will travel near and far in this world; We will go through the highs and lows of life; Sometimes we win; Sometimes we lose. In this life full of unpredictability, we must learn to persevere and endure. If we cannot do that, we might lose our sense of logic and reasoning, and do things that we feel is right in the moment, but we may regret in the future. Examples of non-perseverance include: blaming the world or other people for our own actions that made us sad, constantly cursing, and blaming everything on “bad luck”. Perseverance is a true indicator of maturity, a paragon of the right moral reasoning, and a sign of open mindedness.

Humility (Ability to ‘Bow Down’) - To be a good person, it’s important to be humble; A famous Chinese general called Han Xin (韩信) bowed down to others constantly, despite his prolific accomplishments; he became one of the most celebrated historical figures in China. A famous Chinese historian called Si Ma Qian (司马迁) had great humility; he produced the most important literature of his times, studied by students, historians, and philosophers even today. As we can see, bowing down is not just an action, but a psychological training of confidence. Only when we are humble can we establish respect in our surroundings.

Confidence (Ability to ‘Raise your Head’) - By raising your head, I mean to say that no matter what milestone, journey, or situation in life we are in, good or bad, we must constantly make an active effort to stay optimistic. When we achieve this as a young adult, it is a clear indication of maturity and confidence. However, raising your head does not mean displaying arrogance or treating others with disdain, but approaching problems with a clear moral code, and treating others with respect. It is not criticizing others if they are not as confident in comparison, but focusing on ourselves and quietly but diligently doing the work we set out to do.